It is one of the National Polytechnics recently elevated to a fully fledged University in Kenya.

[3][2][4] TUM can be traced back to the late 1940s when Sir Philip Mitchell, Aga Khan III, the Sultan of Zanzibar, and Secretary of State for the colonies, Sir Bernard Reilly started the Mombasa Institute of Muslim Education (MIOME).

[2] After its inception, MIOME started providing technical education to Muslim students of East Africa.

[2] In 1966 MIOME become Mombasa Technical Institute (MTI) and started to admit all people from different walks of life regardless of religion or race.

TUM has opened two strategic satellite Campuses in Kwale and Lamu County.